1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to models of objects and, in particular, to models of systems in objects, such as aircraft. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for processing the model of a system in an aircraft.
2. Background
Modern aircraft have many different types of systems. For example, an aircraft may have a hydraulic system, an environmental control system, an electrical system, a computer system, and/or other types of systems. The different systems in an aircraft have different components and interconnections between the components. For example, a hydraulic system may have pumps and valves that are connected to each other by tubes.
In designing these and other types of systems, applications are used to generate models of these systems and/or the aircraft having these systems. For example, applications running on computers may be used to design objects, such as aircraft, and/or assemblies, systems, and parts of the objects. In particular, models may be generated for these different types of objects. Software, such as computer aided design (CAD) software, may be used to create these models. For example, a computer aided design software package may include software to create a model for a hydraulic system for an aircraft.
The models generated using these types of applications are representations of the objects. These representations may be two-dimensional and/or three-dimensional representations of the objects. Further, information may be included in the models. This information may take the form of metadata. Metadata may be defined as data about data. In other words, metadata is data that provides information about one or more aspects of the data with which the metadata is associated. For example, metadata for a model may include information about various aspects of the model.
In particular, metadata may provide information about the different components that make up the object in the model. This information may be used to manufacture the object from the model. For example, the metadata may include a part identifier, a type of material, a dimension, a location, and/or other suitable types of information for the components making up the object in the model and the object.
These types of models may be used to manufacture the objects or parts for the objects that are in the model. Oftentimes, however, analysis of the objects may be performed before the object is actually manufactured. The analysis may be performed using different types of software.
For example, system analysis software may be used to model fluid flow in an object, such as a hydraulic system for an aircraft. As another example, a system analysis program also may be used to predict hydraulic pressure surges to an object in the form of a landing gear system for an aircraft.
The results of the analysis may be used to verify that desired characteristics are present for an object. The results also may be used to make changes to the model to obtain the desired characteristics.
Moving information from a model to an analysis program is often more time consuming and tedious than desired. When more time and effort is used to move the information from a model to the analysis program, the time needed to complete design and production of an object may increase. The increase in time may result in more expense and undesired delays in producing the object.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a method and apparatus that takes into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as possibly other issues.